Claude Hickman-Live Life on Purpose-Sample Only

“Many books and articles encouraging the younger generation toseek meaningful and ‘purposeful lives’ are written by the oldergeneration, sometimes with language that fails to capture themillennial generation’s heartbeat. Live Life on Purpose is written bya young guy full of life and love for Jesus with an ability to makehis message heard in language and style that resonates with hisgeneration. His own spiritual pilgrimage includes decisions that,though difficult, were ‘based on the compass of what God was doing’in his life. Claude’s book and life are resulting in many young peoplebeing challenged with God’s extravagant love for the nations. I highlyrecommend it.”

- Jim Raymo,Former President, World Evangelization for Christ International

Author of Marching to a Different Drummer

“Live Life on Purpose has captured the message and passion of globalmissions and made it relevant to a generation looking to givethemselves to an eternal cause. I’ve worked with college studentsfor 25 years and this would be a great resource to take any campusministry staff, student, or volunteer through. Warning: It will ignitea vision for the world!”

- Steve Shadrach,Director of Mobilization for the U.S. Center for World Missions,

Founder of Student Mobilization, Author of The Fuel and the Flame

“Claude is a man of purpose: God’s purpose. What Claude capturesin this book is a call to live life fully, not focused on our own end,but focused on God’s bigger eternal plan. This book is not for thefaint of heart; prepare for your life to be interrupted. Every Christianwho wants to be a part of God’s purpose needs to read this book.”

- Mark Schuitema,Indiana Catalytic Director, Campus Crusade for Christ

Live Life on Purpose BOOK.pmd 1/27/2009, 2:38 PM1

2 | Live Life on Purpose

“Straightforward, honest words that send a message of hope andpurpose to a generation of students who could form the greatestsending force ever to help reach the largest population of spirituallydesperate people ever in our world! In the hands of students inour movements, this tool can be a great supplement to discipleship. Use it as you guide them to their next step in following the NorthStar to the uttermost parts of the earth — watch students grow intheir vision for God’s glory after reading Live Life on Purpose.”

- Jen Prince,Mid-South WSN Director, Campus Crusade for Christ

“His book is a strong challenge to young people to give their livesfor God’s purposes. This book is contemporary, energetic, ‘all out.’Give it to every young person you know.”

- David Mays,Mobilizer at Large, ACMC

“The next generation of mission leaders has a limitless supply ofresources and skills, a flood of creative contextualized approaches,and a deep desire to do something significant with their lives. Theirgreatest challenge stands in their own hesitation, “Is there anythingworth doing?” Live Life on Purpose shouts out a call that God has aplan for the world and invites you and me to join the movement.Claude Hickman spells out God’s big picture, revealed through HisWord, to an audience looking for a reason to live passionately. Hiswriting drives readers to dive into the Bible. Claude’s years going tocampuses help him speak God’s heart in words that students —present and past — cannot ignore.

We send short-term missionaries to help them intentionallyspend their lives for God’s global church. As I read Live Life onPurpose, I kept saying, “This is exactly the heart and message wewant our short-term workers to capture!” That’s why we’re givingthis book to every one of them this summer. Thank you Claude forpouring out your heart to help us understand God’s.”

- James ———,OMF International


LIVE LIFE ON PURPOSE

OMF LITERATURE INC.Manila, Philippines

CLAUDE HICKMAN



All Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible®. NASB®.Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The LockmanFoundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The 10/40 Window Map on page 110 is used by permission of Global MappingInternational (GMI). All rights reserved.

Live Life on PurposeCopyright © 2003, 2005, 2009 by Claude Hickman

Originally published in the USA under the titleLive Life on PurposeCopyright © 2003 by Claude HickmanPublished by Winepress PublishingP.O. Box 428, Enumclaw98022 Washington

Cover design by Nixon L. NaPage design by Marianne C. Ventura and Nixon L. Na

Published (2009) in the Philippines byOMF Literature Inc.776 Boni AvenueMandaluyong City, Metro Manilawww.OMFLit.com

ISBN 978-971-0495-87-0

Printed in the Philippines


Contents

Foreword — Todd Ahrend 9

Our Journey1 The Journey 132 Direction not Directions 223 The Map is a Trap 31

God’s Purpose4 Lift the Thread 415 The First Step 476 Momentum 607 The Road to Glory 748 Fork in the Road 919 True North 103

The Path Ahead10 Uncharted Land 11111 Stopping Short 12112 Perils on the Journey 12613 Running with Your Head Down 139

Your Life14 Living by the Compass 15115 Tools for the Journey 16016 Looking Back 17517 Looking Forward 184

Endnotes 191




Thank You

To my wife Rebecca, who has chosen to live her life on purposeand walk the journey with me as a faithful, honest, and lovingfriend. God has blessed me with a companion for the journeylike Jonathan’s armor-bearer who said to him, “Do all that isin your heart; turn yourself, and here I am with you accordingto your desire.”

To my parents, who have been steadfast support in allI do. And to John, Todd, Sean, Ted, Steve, and Neil — the menthat God has used to direct my life toward the true treasure.

To Grace Baptist Church, Tahlequah, Oklahoma, wherewe have learned the meaning of true worship, fellowship, andcommunity — especially to Jim and Jason for leading us intruth and authenticity.

To all our supporters, who live their lives on purpose,faithfully investing in the work of the Lord through us andour ministry year after year. Each of them is directly respons-ible for this book and any fruit that comes from it.




ForewordTodd Ahrend

Most people want to live for something. It is rare to meet aperson who doesn’t want to live for anything — someone withno ambitions, drive, goals, or intentions. People crave purpose.We want to be a part of something that will outlast us. We allwant, at the end of the day — and more importantly at theend of our lives — to be able to say, “I contributed to something. . . I made an impact on those lives . . . I spent my time insignificance.” As believers, God has invited us into Hispurpose. We actually have the ability to live for somethingbeyond ourselves: something global! Many times though, thispotential is not realized in believers’ lives. Whatever thereason, be it lack of information, unwillingness to seek Him,or fear of what we must do when He reveals Himself, we seekinstant gratification for our purpose craving, so we jump onthe first opportunity that comes along.

I know in my own life this is true. When I first became abeliever, I sought zealously all that I perceived to be theChristian life. I tossed all my secular music, put motivatingstickers on my car, and even tried to evangelize by wearingthe most Christian T-shirt I could find. I thought all this waswhat it meant to be a good Christian. But the more I grewspiritually the more I realized that . . .

. . . God was not as interested in meChristianizing my life as much as He was

interested in me crucifying my life.

The problem that many of us face is that when we becomeChristians we simply adjust all of our natural ambition towardChristian things. Whatever effort we put toward the pursuit



of carnal goals before Christ is now spent in pursuit ofChristianized goals. Not much changes. It seems from Scripture,however, that God is challenging us to lay down our ambitions.Not simply to adjust them but to abandon our ambitions inexchange for His. In order for this great exchange to take placea few things have to happen. First, you must crucify your lifeto Him. Second, you have to know what His ambitions are.And third, you have to know practically how you are going tolive out His goals. To help us all work through these steps iswhy Claude Hickman wrote this book.

The heartbeat of the book Live Life on Purpose gives achallenging call to all who seek to crucify their lives to theLord, and offers a blueprint of what a life full of purpose couldlook like. Not only does Claude walk you through Scriptureand give a thorough explanation of the global purpose of God,he also goes step by step through some practical applicationsof what the life lived on purpose will cost you. You will beconvinced and stirred for God’s desire and plan to use you inHis grandest endeavor — an endeavor that He promises willtouch all nations.

Claude Hickman serves as a genuine example of a lifelived on purpose. Over the years, I have watched him say noto some very good, very safe, even appealing opportunities,and I’ve seen him throw off everything that hinders and thesin that so easily entangles, to run with perseverance the racemarked out before him. The book you are holding is not justempty facts or good ideas that you might want to consider.This is a passionate cry from the author that you should nolonger settle for the status quo. He is not asking you to dosomething he himself has not yet done. As you read this book,let the Lord challenge and convict you to surrender at Hisfeet all that you are, all that you desire, and the life you couldpotentially live in exchange for all that He is, all that Hedesires, and a life lived on purpose.

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longerI who live, but Christ lives in me. GALATIANS 2:20


OUR JOURNEY

“I will not followwhere the path may lead;but I will go wherethere is no path;and I will leave a trail . . .”

– MURIEL STRODE




THE JOURNEY

The Outer CourtThere are two types of people. The first typechooses a life pursuit and then asks God to blessand join his or her plans. The second stops todiscover what God is pursuing, then seeks to adjust his or herlife plans to join Him. We would all like to believe we are thesecond person, but when we peel back the layers of our lifeand check our plans against God’s agenda, we may find such ahuge disconnection that we are more like the first person. It isa wonderful and dangerous freedom God has given us, thefreedom to choose our purpose in life.

In August 2002 my wife, Rebecca, and I took a short trip toChina. We were in Beijing, where all the famous attractionsare. We visited a great many of the legendary sites and plentyof markets all in one day. It was like the Griswald’s Chinesevacation on steroids. Seriously, we stayed at the Great Wall forforty-five minutes, Tiananmen Square for around thirty minutes,and the Emperor’s Palace for about twenty minutes. It wasinsane, but we had this awesome taxi driver who got us aroundand told us how to get the most out of each tourist attraction.

Our last visit was the Forbidden City. It is the center ofBeijing and was, for sure, the highlight of our trip. It was huge.Our driver dropped us off on one side of this palace-typestructure surrounded by massive walls and told us he wouldbe waiting for us on the other side (about a mile away).I remember him saying, “Be sure to get in before 4 o’clock or it

chapterONE



will close.” It was 3:30 — no problem. He took off; we boughta new roll of film, took some pictures out front, and then enteredthrough the massive arching doorway.

The Forbidden City is a series of brick courtyards, and ifyou keep walking straight you will continue passing throughthese huge doorways into another, and another, massivecourtyard. By the time we got to the third courtyard, whichwas the biggest we had seen, we decided to stop and check outsome souvenir carts. After a few minutes we moved on andsome friendly Asians stopped my wife and practiced theirEnglish on us. Then they wanted a picture with us. We chatteda little, and then left.

“This is awesome,” I said, “It doesn’t get any better thanthis!” We moved on at a fairly swift pace through the rest ofthis courtyard, because I knew we had to make good time tomeet our taxi guy on the other side at 5 p.m., and it was already4:15. I noticed that there were doorways on the sides of thecourtyard and cars driving through and I thought to myself,That’s odd. What’s so “forbidden” about this city? When we got tothe next huge wall I noticed that there was no huge doorway,instead only a small one-way tunnel, with people exiting fromthe other side. This didn’t look good. “Let’s go,” I said toRebecca, thinking I could slip us in if we walked confidently.(After all, we are Americans!) Well, it didn’t work that day.FYI: There are lots of people in China who know the word“Closed.” It was then that I remembered the words of our guru/taxi driver, “Be sure to get in before 4 o’clock or it will close.”As cliché as it sounds — we were forbidden from the ForbiddenCity! But we thought we were in. It totally looked right. Ofcourse we show our friends the pictures and they perhaps don’tknow how badly we failed (because we don’t tell them). Thetruth is we got distracted on the journey and didn’t make it toour destination. In fact, we never experienced the best part ofthe journey because, thinking that was all there was, we settledfor the outer courts.


There have been times for all of us where we have wonderedif there was more to the Christian life. It doesn’t get any betterthan this — or does it? It seems like many of the Christiansaround us have settled for a smaller existence than the liveslived by the men and women of whom we read in the Bible.I have often daydreamed of life’s possibilities and deeply desiredthat my life would somehow matter. I wanted to live forsomething that was going to last. Like kids who will sneak outand write their names in the wet concrete, we desire to leaveour mark on the world. The scariest thing for young adults inthe twenty-first century is that their lives may turn out like inthe movies we watch, where everyone works in some littlecubicle, hating their job, and finding little meaning or joy totheir life. Is that the fate of every person — Scott Adams’ Dilbert?Or like Billy Crystal, in the 1980s movie City Slickers, when herealizes that he sells advertising time on the radio and blurts,“What do I have to show for my life? I sell air!”

Over the past few years as I travel and connect with collegestudents and Christians all over the world, I have begun torealize one thing: We all want a purpose to live for. I know itwhen I see it, because the same desire resonates from my ownheart. For most however, it seems that something remains veiledabout God’s clear purpose for our lives. Why does God evenhave Christians on planet earth right now? Why are you here?There is more to the Christian life than just going to heavenwhen you die. Otherwise your pastor might as well just baptizepeople, hold them under, and send them to Heaven right now!It would save time and parking. But instead God has left ushere with a purpose beyond our salvation. So how do someChristians seem to rise above the level of the normal Sunday-morning-attendees, and live with this passion and a vision?Many around us have simply given up, having settled a longtime ago for life in the outer court. But God placed you here,even in this time in history, with a purpose. God has put youhere, and called you to a relationship with Himself because Hehas chosen to involve you in an important role in His story.

The Journey | 15



This generation is on an aggressive search for purpose. It’strue that the world is running from God. But could it also bejust as true that many young men and women are running tofind purpose and meaning, and they aren’t finding it in thechurch? It’s a tragedy that the anthem that best describes ourculture, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for,” could comefrom children of the church, like Bono of U2. Much ofChristianity today has crucified risk and danger and cause-centered living, and traded it for the life of Ned Flanders (thenext-door neighbor of Homer in The Simpsons) — a nice, moral,safe, harmless religious person.

Life is too short to be harmless! The Bible describes life asa mist, a breath, like grass that withers quickly and in a momentis gone. This generation sees the moment and desires to live itwith a world-changing passion. They have gotten the messagethat life is precious and meant for a purpose. But the great fearis, “Will I pick the right passion?”

Pieces of the Puzzle“Most believers die with an unsung song in their heart.”

– HOWARD HENDRICKS

Each of our lives is like a unique puzzle piece. You were borninto an old, boring, black-and-white picture. When you becamea Christian, God plucked you out of that kingdom of darknessto bring you to the Kingdom of His Son. He made your puzzlepiece into a new creation. God shaped and painted you abeautiful new design and color, with a specific place in mindfor you to fit. You are now a color piece made for a new full-color picture.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesusfor good works, which God prepared beforehand so thatwe would walk in them.

EPHESIANS 2:10


Paul used the word pioema — a word that can mean God’s“workmanship,” or even God’s “work of art.” You were createdto be a small part in the masterpiece mosaic of God. We have aspecific place in the big picture of His Kingdom work; a destinythat we were meant to fulfill. The Christian life is the story of ajourney. We are travelers on a road that has a beginning and,more importantly, a destination. The journey wasn’t createdfor you; you were created for the journey. That is where you fit.God formed you and blessed you so that you could live to useyour talents, skills, abilities, and resources on the tracks of whereHe is heading. Only when we see all that God is doing, andplace our lives obediently into submission to the cause, do webegin to find the most delight in who we are created to be. Wecan be ourselves: each one of us is a unique, colorful, andspecially designed piece. We fit.

The reason why even Christians are still searching forpurpose is that many take their new full-color puzzle pieceand try to cram it back into their old black-and-white picture.They want to be Christians and new creations, but they wantto hang onto their old plans as well.

“Maybe I can just be a ‘Christian’ professional athlete,” iswhat I said to myself.

For others maybe it is becoming a “Christian” businessman,or a “Christian” actor. As if it’s okay to just put on a ChristianT-shirt and keep on living out your own dreams. That kind oflife will never lead to true happiness because it is centered onus. It is working from our plans out to God’s, and then askingHim to join us, instead of asking Him what He is doing andwhat we can do to join Him.

God isn’t interested in joining your journey;you were created for His.

Sometimes people live in a state of hesitation, based on God’ssilence on the details. It’s as if He is some travel agent who is

The Journey | 17



planning your vacation. You expect all the details, no risks,an up-front guarantee and a money-back policy if anythingdoesn’t go as planned. Imagine if your travel agent just said,“I’m sending you somewhere, you’ll see when you get there. . . can’t exactly tell you how you will be getting there, justwing it and enjoy the adventure.” Not our idea of fun, butneither is sitting at home. At some point we must resolve thatwe will be less afraid of the unknown on the journey andmore afraid of missing the life God has appointed us to live.

Before we can begin looking into God’s purpose for ourlives we must stop and ask some tough questions. If God wereto reveal what He wants us to do, very specifically, would wewant to do it? Are you sure that you really want to know? It isone thing to lean back and say, “Well, God hasn’t given mepeace about that,” or “I’m not sure what His will for my life is.”But it’s totally different to know very clearly what it is that Herequires of you, and face the option of choosing either His willor your own.

Ignorance of His purposes can be bliss for a season,but in the end of life, it is torment.

What God calls a blessing some would receive as a curse —because it’s an interruption to their life and their agenda.

Before you can know what God’s will is for your life, youmust know what God’s will is. If we use the concept of life as ajourney, you must have a God-centered North Star that givesdirection for your life. If we use the idea of your life as a puzzle-piece, ask what “picture” is God putting together. God is on amission to redeem people from all nations. In Revelation 7:9 wefind people in Heaven from every tribe, tongue, nation andpeople worshipping before the throne. That “picture” is thecompletion of God’s work from the very beginning. God hascreated us not only to have a purpose, but also to know it. I amgoing to compare Revelation 7:9 to the North Star that guides


The Journey | 19

us — it’s the big picture work of God. Your new full-colorpuzzle-piece is made to fit in a unique destination in thecompletion of this new picture. Everyone has a different placewhere they “fit.” The North Star, however, is the same for allbelievers. We each journey to a different place in order tocontribute to the one big picture.

Life is a JourneyThe journey is the process in history and in your life throughwhich God brings all the “pieces” together, for the good ofHis final purpose. To make your life contribute to the bigpicture, you must take steps to adjust your piece until youfind its place. Some of the answers to our questions aboutour purpose are only answered once we are on the journey,but He has given us all the direction we need to begin. We arecalled to follow Him and walk the path He has created for us.We cannot sit safely at the beginning and expect God to giveus complete assurance of all the details before we are obedientand become travelers.

Only the traveler will get a “map,” a more detailed revelationand direction. A map on the journey can be thought of as acareer, vocation, or specific plan. It’s a packaged way of doinglife. You are told where the roads are and where they aren’t.Sometimes God gives people very specific instructions (maps)on what they are to do, but this is rare. The world, however, isa map factory. It continually bombards us with plans for success,agendas, and a promised road to happiness. A map is not alwaysbad, but in the journey God will often lead you where there areno roads. You can’t entrust your life to maps. The only way tobe sure of your course in life is to trust something greater thanthe maps — a compass.

A compass is something that gives you direction. It remindsyou of where true north is, as well as of the big picture. Thecompass helps you set the right course toward your role in



God’s masterpiece picture. The only way to find our destinationin the big picture of what God is doing is to live our lives by thedirection of the compass. The great thing is that every believergets a compass: knowledge of the general overarching purposesof God. We can know the North Star and set the course of ourlives by it. The compass points the right direction and helps usdetermine which of many maps available are wrong for us,and which are the ones God has purposed for us. Take theseanalogies and tuck them away. We are going to see how Godgave direction to men and women in history as they alignedtheir life with His North Star and as they made decisions usingthe compass. I spent thirteen years of my Christian life in theouter courts of what God was doing. I was moral, growing inholiness, sharing my faith, discipling others, but I was stillmissing out on the “inside” purpose of God. Once I discoveredwhat God was doing, I had a North Star to live my life by.

The main thing I hope you walk away with is a connectionto the clear purpose of God. His plans include you, the Church,and the world. Your search for purpose and your choice to liveout your role in the big picture can be compared to a journey.Once we get captured by the radiance of God’s North Star, wenaturally want to live our lives by the compass of what He isdoing. Your desire to make your life count and God’s purposefor you are designed to work together for your joy and Hisglory. It is the purposes of God that take a journey throughhistory, moving through people, flowing through the miracles,speaking in the promises, carrying with force and momentumall the works of God toward one defining end. If we know thatend, we can navigate our lives by it securely. It will not fail. Wecan ride the wave of the ordained purpose of God. In it is ourdestiny. God’s story is revealed in His Word to us, but not theentire story. The rest is being written right now as you readthis. It is not written on paper, but written into history by thelives of the heroes of the World Christian movement: men and


women who are laying their lives down for the global purposesof God. God’s story is being written, not thousands of yearsago, but today. The pages and chapters of our generation haveroom for one more character — you. You will write a chapterwhether you like it or not. Your chapter will tell of who youreally were in the scope of eternity. What will it say of yourlife? I believe that, like me, you want to make it count.

The Journey | 21


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